结合生物力学模型重建左心室位移场

左心室心肌最为发达,心肌收缩产生的高压将动脉血泵入全身,集中体现了心脏的泵血能力.定量分析左心室收缩运动是诊断心血管疾病（如心肌梗死）的重要途径.本文采用描述左心室心肌材质的生物力学模型重建左心室位移场.该力学模型作为插值项,与心脏电影磁共振图像的观测位移场共同纳入贝叶斯估计框架,并采用有限元法求解位移场方程.实验比较了左心室射血无力组（46例）与正常组（55例）的左心室功能参数,发现两组在径向和圆周方向的位移、速度、应变和应变率都具有非常显著的差异（p < 0.001）,这证明本文方法能够有效区别左心室运动正常与否.实验结果还与CVI软件测量的左心室功能参数具有较高的相关性,说明本文方法有望辅助心血管疾病的临床诊断.     

Convexity preserving level set for left ventricle segmentation

In clinical applications of cardiac left ventricle (LV) segmentation, the segmented LV is desired to include the cavity, trabeculae, and papillary muscles, which form a convex shape. However, the intensities of trabeculae and papillary muscles are similar to myocardium. Consequently, segmentation algorithms may easily misclassify trabeculae and papillary muscles as myocardium. In this paper, we propose a level set method with a convexity preserving mechanism to ensure the convexity of the segmented LV. In the proposed level set method, the curvature of the level set contours is used to control their convexity, such that the level set contour is finally deformed as a convex shape. The experimental results and the comparison with other level set methods show the advantage of our method in terms of segmentation accuracy. Compared with the state-of-the-art methods using deep-learning, our method is able to achieve comparable segmentation accuracy without the need for training, while the deep-learning based method requires a large set of training data and high-quality manual segmentation. Therefore, our method can be conveniently used in situation where training data and their manual segmentation are not available.     

Hybrid segmentation of left ventricle in cardiac MRI using gaussian-mixture model and region restricted dynamic programming

Segmentation of the left ventricle from cardiac magnetic resonance images (MRI) is very important to quantitatively analyze global and regional cardiac function. The aim of this study is to develop a novel and robust algorithm which can improve the accuracy of automatic left ventricle segmentation on short-axis cardiac MRI. The database used in this study consists of three data sets obtained from the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Each data set contains 15 cases (4 ischemic heart failures, 4 non-ischemic heart failures, 4 left ventricle (LV) hypertrophies and 3 normal cases). Three key techniques are developed in this segmentation algorithm: (1) ray scanning approach is designed for segmentation of images with left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT), (2) a region restricted technique is employed for epicardial contour extraction, and (3) an edge map with non-maxima gradient suppression approach is put forward to improve the dynamic programming to derive the epicardial boundary. The validation experiments were performed on a pool of data sets of 45 cases. For both endo- and epi-cardial contours of our results, percentage of good contours is about 91%, the average perpendicular distance is about 2 mm. The overlapping dice metric is about 0.92. The regression and determination coefficient between the experts and our proposed method on the ejection fraction (EF) is 1.01 and 0.9375, respectively; they are 0.9 and 0.8245 for LV mass. The proposed segmentation method shows the better performance and is very promising in improving the accuracy of computer-aided diagnosis systems in cardiovascular diseases.     

Automatic assessment of cardiac function from short-axis MRI: procedure and clinical evaluation

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a wealth of morphological and physiological information. Automatic extraction of this information is possible by implementing various image processing techniques. However, existing procedures mostly rely on extensive human interaction and are seldom evaluated on a clinical scale. In this study, a nearly automatic process that extracts physiological parameters from cardiac MR images has been both developed and clinically evaluated. Raw images were obtained in the short-axis view and acquired by a gradient-cho (GE) protocol. In images selected to be analyzed, the only manual step required is the indication of a point in the center of the left ventricle (LV). From a set of such images, the process extracts endocardial and epicardial contours and calculates left ventricular volumes, mass and ejection fraction (EF). The process implements novel approaches to image processing techniques such as thresholding and shape extraction and can be adapted to other acquisition protocols. The process has demonstrated a clear potential for accurate extraction of the endocardial contour but a lower one with respect to the epicardial contour as a result of the low contrast between myocardium and some surrounding tissues, generated by the gradient-echo protocol. The ability of the process to asses physiological parameters has been subjected to a systematic clinical evaluation, which compared parameters, derived manually and automatically, in 10 healthy subjects and 10 patients. The evaluation has indicated that although individual volumes and mass were not accurately assessed, the automatic process has shown high potential for assessing the ejection fraction with relatively high accuracy and reliability.     

Localization of ischemia in canine hearts using tagged rotated long axis MR images,endocardial surface stretch and wall thickening

Tagged magnetic resonance imaging allows the noninvasive measurement of regional systolic myocardial deformations and helps localize ischemic regions in the left ventricle (LV). The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential accuracy of localizing ischemic regions in the LV using endocardial and epicardial data obtained from tagged rotated long axis images. Nine canine hearts with acute ischemia induced by coronary artery ligation were imaged along four long axis planes rotated around the LV long axis, at end diastole and end systole. Each plane was tagged by four parallel lines perpendicular to the LV long axis. Tracing the endocardial and epicardial intersection points of the tag lines, 24 myocardial cuboids were reconstructed for each LV at end diastole and end systole. Endocardial surface stretch and transmural systolic thickening were calculated for each cuboid. The functional data were compared to perfusion data obtained from postmortem monastral blue staining of the heart. The ability of each functional index to discriminate between ischemic and non-ischemic regions was assessed using the “t”-statistic. The potential accuracy in localizing ischemia was evaluated by studying the corresponding sensitivity-specificity curves. The results demonstrate that adequate discrimination and localization can be obtained with both functional indices. However, endocardial surface stretch is advantageous as it uses only endocardial data and can save 50% of the post-processing time.     

Dynamic pixel-wise weighting-based fully convolutional neural networks for left ventricle segmentation in short-axis MRI

Left ventricle (LV) segmentation in cardiac MRI is an essential procedure for quantitative diagnosis of various cardiovascular diseases. In this paper, we present a novel fully automatic left ventricle segmentation approach based on convolutional neural networks. The proposed network fully takes advantages of the hierarchical architecture and integrate the multi-scale feature together for segmenting the myocardial region of LV. Moreover, we put forward a dynamic pixel-wise weighting strategy, which can dynamically adjust the weight of each pixel according to the segmentation accuracy of upper layer and force the pixel classifier to take more attention on the misclassified ones. By this way, the LV segmentation performance of our method can be improved a lot especially for the apical and basal slices in cine MR images. The experiments on the CAP database demonstrate that our method achieves a substantial improvement compared with other well-know deep learning methods. Beside these, we discussed two major limitations in convolutional neural networks-based semantic segmentation methods for LV segmentation.     

Application of a fusion model using collective variables and microscopically related mass parameters

A calculation of nucleus-nucleus collisions is presented, using a model which starts from a TDHF equation and leads to classical equations of motion for a set of four collective variables. Restricting to axial symmetry and assuming the liquid drop mass formula to hold, a differential equation is derived, which describes nuclear deformations and energies and is used to construct a potential energy surface for the collective variables. The nuclear deformations are obtained without the need of shape parameters. The equations of motion for the collective variables are solved numerically.     

Left ventricle segmentation via two-layer level sets with circular shape constraint

This paper proposes a circular shape constraint and a novel two-layer level set method for the segmentation of the left ventricle (LV) from short-axis magnetic resonance images without training any shape models. Since the shape of LV throughout the apex-base axis is close to a ring shape, we propose a circle fitting term in the level set framework to detect the endocardium. The circle fitting term imposes a penalty on the evolving contour from its fitting circle, and thereby handles quite well with issues in LV segmentation, especially the presence of outflow track in basal slices and the intensity overlap between TPM and the myocardium. To extract the whole myocardium, the circle fitting term is incorporated into two-layer level set method. The endocardium and epicardium are respectively represented by two specified level contours of the level set function, which are evolved by an edge-based and a region-based active contour model. The proposed method has been quantitatively validated on the public data set from MICCAI 2009 challenge on the LV segmentation. Experimental results and comparisons with state-of-the-art demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of our method.     

On controlling the surface curvature of diffraction components

The possibility of interactively controlling the surface curvature of a single-crystal Si(100) plate used as a diffraction element is investigated. The initial component-surface profile is specified by the substrate shape, parameters of the adhesive, and the temperature of its adhesion to the substrate. The results of calculating the changes in surface profile and its curvature radius are presented.     

平面光学元件研磨抛光磨粒运动轨迹曲率研究

为提高研磨抛光加工表面质量,利用Matlab软件编制程序对不同参数下轨迹曲线曲率进行计算分析。结果表明,转速比对磨粒运动轨迹曲线曲率影响很大;相同转速比下的曲线曲率呈现周期性变化,曲率变化幅值很小;磨粒径向距离越大,曲率变化越剧烈,工件边缘处容易产生曲率突变;考虑到对磨粒径向距离的影响,偏心距不宜太大或太小。同时,磨粒初始角度对磨粒轨迹曲线曲率形状没有影响。该研究可为研磨抛光设备的设计提供理论指导。     

Ventricular pressures in phonating excised larynges

Pressure in the laryngeal ventricle was measured with a beveled needle connected to a pressure transducer in excised canine larynges. Air pressures within the ventricle were obtained for different adduction levels of the true vocal folds (TVFs), false vocal folds (FVFs), and subglottal pressures (Ps). Results indicated that the air pressures in the ventricle appear to be strongly related to the motion of the FVFs rather than to the effects of TVF vibration. Both dc and ac pressures depend on FVF adduction, amplitude of motion of the FVFs, and whether the FVFs touch each other during the vibratory cycle. Mean and peak-to-peak pressures in the ventricle were as high as 65% of the mean and peak-to-peak Ps, respectively, when the FVFs vibrated with large amplitude and contact each cycle. If the glottis was not closed, a medial movement of the FVFs appeared to create a positive pressure pulse on the Ps signal due to an increase in the laryngeal flow resistance. The electroglottograph signal showed evidence of tissue contact for both the TVFs and the FVFs. The study suggests that the laryngeal ventricle acts as a relatively independent aero-acoustic chamber that depends primarily upon the motion of the FVFs.     

The filling of neutron star magnetospheres with plasma: Dynamics of the motion of electrons and positrons

We consider the motion of charged particles in the vacuum magnetospheres of rotating neutron stars with a strong surface magnetic field, B ≳ 10¹² G. The electrons and positrons falling into the magnetosphere or produced in it are shown to be captured by the force-free surface E · B = 0. Using the Dirac-Lorentz equation, we investigate the dynamics of particle capture and subsequent motion near the force-free surface. The particle energy far from the force-free surface has been found to be determined by the balance between the power of the forces of an accelerating electric field and the intensity of curvature radiation. When captured, the particles perform adiabatic oscillations along the magnetic field lines and simultaneously move along the force-free surface. We have found the oscillation parameters and trajectories of the captured particles. We have calculated the characteristic capture times and energy losses of the particles through the emission of both bremsstrahlung and curvature photons by them. The capture of particles is shown to lead to a monotonic increase in the thickness of the layer of charged plasma accumulating near the force-free surface. The time it takes for a vacuum magnetosphere to be filled with plasma has been estimated.     

Rapid assessment of regional and global left ventricular function using three-dimensional k-t BLAST imaging

OBJECTIVE: To test if three-dimensional (3D) cine spatial frequency-temporal frequency Broad-use Linear Acquisition Speed-up Technique (k-t BLAST) is suitable for rapid evaluation of global and regional left ventricular (LV) functional parameters and to evaluate the influence of gadolinium administration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Parameters describing global and regional LV function were evaluated in 50 subjects using a two-dimensional (2D) steady-state free precession (SSFP) and pre- and postcontrast 3D k-t BLAST techniques. Data analyses included contrast-to-noise ratio analyses, and statistical evaluations included Bland-Altman, Cohen's kappa and analysis of variance techniques. RESULTS: Bland-Altman analyses revealed that the ejection fraction computed using the 3D k-t BLAST sequences before (bias+/-2S.D., 2.2+/-8.8) and after contrast administration (bias+/-2S.D., 2.7+/-7.6 mol) was comparable to the 2D SSFP technique. Similar agreement was noted for other global LV parameters. The myocardium-to-blood contrast in the apical slices was better in the 3D k-t BLAST sequence after contrast administration than before. Cohen's kappa values demonstrated good agreement between the sequences for evaluating regional wall motion. CONCLUSIONS: 3D k-t BLAST can yield global and regional LV functional parameters comparable to those of the 2D SSFP technique in substantially shorter scan times. In 3D k-t BLAST images, myocardium-to-blood contrast in the apical slices is better after contrast administration.     

Contraction and relaxation-induced oscillations of the left ventricle of the heart during the isovolumic phases

A theoretical analysis is presented for the transient dynamical response of the left ventricle of the heart during the isovolumic contraction and relaxation phases of the cardiac cycle. Small oscillations of the left ventricular cavity pressure and wall motion are excited by the initial rates of filling and emptying of the ventricle as well as the rate of change in muscle fiber activation. The analysis applies to the genesis of the first and second heart sounds. The ventricle is modeled as a finite, thick-walled incompressible cylinder having a continuum of imbedded axial and circumferential active muscle fibers, which interacts with a fixed volume of an incompressible, ideal fluid. The solution is obtained using a two-timing asymptotic expansion procedure. The theoretical calculations of left ventricular pressure waveforms compare favorably with published recorded pressure waveforms. The amplitude spectra of computed waveforms contain information concerning the active elastic modulus of the fibers, which is a measure of cardiac contractility.     

Curved Josephson junction

The constant curvature one and quasi-one dimensional Josephson junction is considered. On the base of Maxwell equations, the sine–Gordon equation that describes an influence of curvature on the kink motion was obtained. It is showed that the method of geometrical reduction of the sine–Gordon model from three to lower dimensional manifold leads to an identical form of the sine–Gordon equation.     

The studies on the motion of the sine‐Gordon kink on a curved surface

The numerical studies of the kink motion on a curved manifold were performed. Examples of the curved surfaces are considered in detail. Enlarging the kink width in curved regions of the surface and reduction of its speed is confirmed. Reflection of the kink front from the large curvature areas is observed. The influence of the curvature on the speed of the Vachaspati waves is also observed.     

Determination of normal regional left ventricular function from cine-MR images using a semi-automated edge detection method

A semi-automated edge detection method for the delineation of the endo- and epicardial borders of the left ventricle from cine MR images has been developed. The feasibility of this was demonstrated by processing end diastolic and end systolic ECG-gated images of four short axis images in 10 healthy subjects. The first derivative method combined with a 2D weighted polynomial fitting procedure was used to determine the endo- and epicardial borders, which then allowed determination of the wall motion, wall thickening, and ejection fraction, of the left ventricle. The results show that the end-systolic radial wall motion varies from (32 ± 8)% to (76 ± 12)%, and wall thickening from (0.60 ± 0.46) cm to (1.26 ± 0.50) cm. An average ejection fraction of (69 ± 6)% was found which agrees well with literature values. The method described, for the delineation of the borders, reduces considerably the long and tedious operator time inherent in manual measurement and greatly increases the reproducibility of the measurements.     

Determination of the complex Young and shear dynamic moduli of viscoelastic materials

The Young and shear dynamic moduli of viscoelastic materials are determined from laser vibrometric measurements of the surface motion of a three-dimensional sample excited by a piezoelectric actuator inside a chamber with controllable temperature and static pressure. The moduli are estimated from an inversion code that minimizes the difference between the data and the predictions from a finite element model in which the elastic moduli are the adjustable parameters. The technique is first used to measure the dynamic properties of homogeneous samples and the results are compared with those obtained by the standard rod resonance technique. Results are then obtained with microvoided samples in the 0.5-3 kHz frequency range, at temperatures ranging from 7 to 40 degrees C, and static pressures ranging from ambient to 34 atm (3.45 MPa or 500 psi). The limitations of the technique are discussed.     

合肥光源BPM真空室位移监测系统

 合肥光源(HLS)电子储存环的束流水平轨道存在缓慢漂移现象,导致轨道水平漂移的主要原因是同步光热效应导致束流位置检测器(BPM)真空室水平移动。为抑制这种现象而研制的合肥光源BPM真空室位移监测系统,利用光栅位移传感器实时监测全环24个BPM真空室的位移,并将数据反馈至HLS控制系统,由控制系统对BPM的轨道测量值进行实时修正,从而提高了慢速轨道反馈系统有效性。     

An action for a classical string,the equation of motion and group invariant classical solutions

A string action which is essentially a Willmore functional is presented and studied. This action determines the physics of a surface in Euclidean three space which can be used to model classical string configurations. By varying this action an equation of motion for the mean curvature of the surface is obtained which is shown to govern certain classical string configurations. Several classes of classical solutions for this equation are discussed from the symmetry group point of view and an application is presented.